Good training gear is crucial for any boxer if aiming for maximum results. However, the choice of the gear is very important. If you are an elite boxer, training with basic boxing equipment and slow coach may brutally slow your performances down. As much as a good coach and good teammates can help the fighter, bad boxing equipment can cause fatal consequences – injuries, lack of motivation, constant fear, technique correction, bad self-state… So the choice of boxing equipment is very important, both for beginner and advanced practitioner.
The basic part of boxing equipment, without conditioning gear, is contained in gloves, hand wraps, protective gear (mouth guards, protective headgear and groin protectors), coaching equipment (punch mitts and punch&strike shields), punching bags (heavy bags&stands, free standing heavy bags, specialty heavy bags, speed bags&platforms) and footwear.
Gloves
Good boxing glove means a lot when it comes to training or fight night. You can see here which are the best boxing gloves for beginners and top boxing gloves worn by professional boxers.
Hand wraps
Hand wrap simply has to be used on most of the training sessions. It prevents the wrist from injury and enables throwing stronger strikes without any fear. However, your hand wraps have to be twisted carefully around your wrist because bad wrapping can make the situation worse. Here is a detailed instruction of how to wrap your hands correctly.
Protective gear
Mouth protector
An extremely important thing, especially if you train conditional sparring with your partner and trying combinations. Training sparring is also unthinkable without a good mouthpiece, just as the fight night. The best option is to go to your dentist and order custom shaped mouthpiece that will be adapted to the shape of your teeth. It costs a bit more money, but surely less than a broken tooth.
Protective headgear
There are two types of headgear, amateur competition headgear and training professional sparring headgear.
Amateur competition headgear is thinner and leaves the face open while protecting it from strong hooks and swings. However, no matter if swelling and bruising appear, you will feel the strike that landed to your head.
Training professional sparring headgear may be custom made, on the other hand. Custom sized and thicker, it mostly protects your face from hooks and swings, but specially designed headgears even cover some parts of your face. However, this may reflect badly on your boxer since he might not get used to receiving punches in the face and may have problems on fight night. Definitively a good choice that lessens injuries.
Groin protectors
Definitively the most sensitive part of your body. Groin strikes in boxing are mostly strayed uppercuts that occur less than in another martial arts, or more often if your opponent wants to play dirty. Good groin protector is a must, or your match is over before it even started.
Coaching equipment
Punching mitts
Mostly made of leather, punching mitts are designed for reaction and speed training. It is very important for any boxer to have good reaction and good ducking. If a boxer knows how to slip and move forward or backward well, he will surely receive fewer strikes.
There are also catch&release mitts which look like a glove and are made for more complex boxing reaction training when a boxer has to put the shot in a very narrow space, while limited with splits of a second.
Punch&strike shields
Body protector is very important. Designed for strong strikes training at your opponent during conditional sparring. Great for counter-punchers or combo strikers. If you need to place one strong shot into plexus solaris to make your opponent put his hands down, the best way to train this strong uppercut or hook to the body is with your partner who carries body protector. Also suitable for body combos, despite combos in boxing are mostly made of head strikes only or combined strikes to the body as an opening and to the head as a final shot.
Punching bags
Heavy bags&stands
Heavy bags are designed for powerful strikes. However, the fill of the heavy bag is the most important thing. Mostly made of plasticized canvas covered with vinyl or synthetic skin, filled with factory material and mostly with an inside chamber which absorbs heavy strikes, it is primarily used to improve the power of strong strikes. These are large, duffel bags, usually chained. Its weight is mostly around 150 pounds.
Free standing heavy bags
One part of these bags stands on the floor on a pedestal. Mostly designed for training sessions that require special movements or circling around the opponent. Also suitable for speed and reaction training, throwing jabs or ducking training. However, those bags are also suitable for single strike training to the targeted place, for example, diaphragm.
Specialty heavy bags
There are few types of specialty heavy bags – hydrostrike heavy bag, slip ball, tear drop heavy bag, wrecking ball, angle heavy bag, and uppercut bag.
Hydrostrike heavy bag, tear drop heavy bag and angle heavy bag is mostly used for head strikes, which should be landed in the moment when an opponent drops his hands to protect the stomach. Its shape complicates the strike, which should be delivered in heavy conditions, just like in the match.
Slip ball and wrecking ball are widely used for ducking techniques. A boxer has to learn how to slip after delivering a strike, and those two types of bag are a perfect choice for that type of training. Specially designed for clinch fighting.
An uppercut bag is designed for uppercut training. Very suitable if your opponent holds a guard which covers hooks, but is a bit wider. Good and fast uppercut delivered to the chin brings at least a knockdown, or even a knockout if the timing is right.
Speed bags&platforms
This part of the equipment is divided into speed bags and double end bags.
Speed bags are filled with air and set to hang from the ceiling. With them, boxer learns to hold his hands up, improve hand-eye coordination and to shift weight from foot when delivering strikes. Bigger speed bags are used for strength training and endurance, while the smaller ones are used to obtain hand speed, timing, and coordination.
These bags connected by the cable to the floor and ceiling, allowing that after the boxer delivers a strike, the bag makes a quick movement to him that needs to be avoided. The stronger the strike is, the boxers have to react and move quicker to different sides and at different angles. In this way, a boxer learns how to avoid counter punches after setting a strike.
Footwear
Footwear is not necessary for training because ordinary shoes can do the job. However, fight night is impossible without the proper shoes. There are generally high top and low top boxing shoes. The most important part of the shoe is a comfort and good quality insole, in order to avoid slip at the crucial moment. High top shoes will protect the ankle joint better during sudden movements in the ring.
Currently, the leader in selling boxing equipment is Everlast.